Legacy of the Force Preview 1

Republic Commando Training Sergeant and Shado Vao

By Gary M. Sarli and Sterling Hershey

At the end of March, Wizards of the Coast will release Legacy of the Force, the newest set for the Star Wars Miniatures Game. With this set, you'll get to play miniatures from the Star Wars: Legacy comic book series and the Legacy of the Force novel series. Today, we begin our previews of figures from the set with a look at the Republic Commando Training Sergeant and Shado Vao.

Republic Commando Training Sergeant

Jango Fett recruited 100 sergeants -- three-quarters of whom were Mandalorian -- to help train the clone commandos. Known as Cuy'val Dur (Mando'a for "those who no longer exist"), these sergeants had to leave everything behind -- work, home, and family -- and voluntarily become sequestered on Kamino for the duration of the secret training program. Furthermore, since no one knew how long it would be before the secret clone army became public knowledge, the sergeants could not know how long it would be before they could ever leave. Some might wonder why anyone would volunteer for such a task. Perhaps they simply needed the money, perhaps the Mandalorians volunteered out of a personal loyalty to Jango Fett, or perhaps it was simply convenient to "disappear" for several years to escape troubles best left behind.

Given the great numbers of Mandalorians in their ranks, the Cuy'val Dur played a significant role in the identity of the commandos. While they encouraged a degree of individuality -- commandos were less likely to sound and act alike than were other clones -- it simultaneously created a sense of separation from their genetically identical brethren, even going so far as to speak Mando'a more extensively than the regular troops. (Some regular clones perceived this as cliquishness and elitism, referring to the commandos derisively as "the deluxe models.") Ultimately, this shared identity was reinforced by the extreme brutality (and occasional lethality) of the sergeants' training regimens, their camaraderie growing deeper and more expressive of the details that set them apart from the rest.

Because of the extreme secrecy that surrounded the clones both before and during the Clone Wars, it is not clear if any sergeants were deployed in an official combat support role during battle. If they were, they probably would have used their extreme familiarity with the commandos to act as clone advisors (such as CC-01/425, who advised Delta Squad on some missions). In this role, they would have assisted with coordinating attacks, monitoring telemetry data from the squad (such as life support, power supply, shield strength, and so on), and keeping the squad advised of new intelligence and sensor data as it became available.

In the Star Wars Miniatures Game, the Republic Commando Training Sergeant has a substantial effect on the overall playability of "clone squads" that rely heavily on characters with Order 66, greatly multiplying the combat effectiveness of many overlooked and underused characters. First, the Training Sergeant's commander effect and special abilities are both unlimited by range, so you won't have to keep it near the front lines to get the most out of the figure. In fact, given the Training Sergeant's relatively low Hit Points and Defense, it's probably best to keep it out of harm's way as long as possible. If it ends up being your only remaining character, you're probably out of luck, but Attack +10 and Damage 20 give it at least a fighting chance against low-value enemies.

Second, the Training Sergeant's commander effect works on any ally that has Order 66, so it will affect everything from standard Clone Troopers to vehicles such as AT-RTs. That extra +10 Damage from combined fire can be devastating on such heavy-hitting attackers, and it can make the Aerial Clone Trooper Commander (Spotter 20) that much more valuable. Furthermore, the Grenades 30 enhancement greatly boosts the value of Clone Trooper Grenadiers and ARC Troopers, making their costs substantially more competitive.

Third, when making heavy use of Republic Commandos, the Training Sergeant obviously has the greatest effect. Adding Shields 2 turns the Commandos into "tanks" comparable to Destroyer Droids, capable of taking a lot of punishment before being defeated, and Synchronized Fire (combined with the extra +10 Damage from combined fire, granted by the commander effect) makes them multiply the overall value of your squad. Republic Commando Scorch actually gains the most, benefiting from every ability and commander effect provided by the Training Sergeant. It's worth noting that the four Republic Commandos plus the Training Sergeant add up to 97 points, so this combination can be a squad in itself or a nucleus around which to build a larger "shooter" squad of 150 or even 200 points.

Star Wars Miniatures Game Stat Card Preview

Faction: Republic
Cost: 30
Hit Points: 30
Defense: 15
Attack: +10
Damage: 20
Special Abilities: Order 66, Delta Fire Support (Each ally whose name contains Republic Commando gains Synchronized Fire [Allies with Order 66 who combine fire with this character grant +6 Attack instead of +4]), Delta Shield Support (Each ally whose name contains Republic Commando gains Shields 2 [When this character takes damage, make 2 saves; each roll of 11 reduces the damage dealt by 10])
Commander Effect: Whenever one or more allies with Order 66 combine fire with another character with Order 66, the attacker gets +10 Damage. Allies with Order 66 and Grenades 10 instead gain Grenades 30 (Replaces attacks: range 6; 30 damage to target and to each character adjacent to that target; save 11).

Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition Statistics

Republic Commando Training Sergeant

CL 5

Medium Human nonheroic 4/soldier 3/officer 1
Force 4; Dark Side 3
Init +11; Senses low-light vision, Perception +11
Languages Basic, Mando'a

Shado Vao

"Your plan has a flaw. It assumes you can kill me." -- Shado Vao to Darth Talon

Shado Vao is a calm and confident Legacy-era Jedi Knight with impressive lightsaber skills. He survived a devastating Sith attack on the Jedi Temple on Ossus, piloting a ship that carried the last Jedi survivors, including many Padawans and Jedi Master Wolf Sazen. Years later, he would join Master Sazen in a search for Sazen's former Padawan Cade Skywalker, who went missing at the battle on Ossus.

The ensuing adventures and skirmishes gave Vao many opportunities to display his lightsaber combat skills. One of his favorite tactics is to suddenly ignite the second blade of his double-bladed lightsaber well into a skirmish. He is calm and cool even in the heat of battle, and often engages his enemy in a verbal duel as well as a physical one.

In the Star Wars Miniatures Game, Shado Vao is an impressive melee combatant for the New Republic faction. His Greater Mobile Attack ability combined with Double Attack makes him highly mobile on the battlefield, able to advance, strike with Double Attack, and retreat in the same activation. His Force Powers improve his defenses significantly; Master of the Force allows him to use two powers in a single turn, and Force Renewal keeps his powers available throughout the game. His excellent Attack and Defense scores make Vao dangerous to any enemy. At 48 points, his cost is similar to that of other highly rated Jedi and in the same range as many of his Legacy-era Sith opponents.

Star Wars Miniatures Game Stat Card Preview

Faction: New Republic
Cost: 48
Hit Points: 100
Defense: 22
Attack: +13
Damage: 20
Special Abilities: Unique, Melee Attack, Double Attack, Greater Mobile Attack (Can move both before and after attacking. This character can make extra attacks even if he moves this turn, but he must make them all before resuming movement.)
Force Powers: Force 2, Force Renewal 1, Lightsaber Block, Lightsaber Deflect, Lightsaber Precision, Lightsaber Riposte, Master of the Force 2 (May spend Force points up to 2 times in a single turn)

Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition Statistics

Shado Vao

CL 10

Medium Twi'lek Jedi 7/Jedi Knight 3
Destiny 2; Force 7; Dark Side 0
Init +8; Senses low-light vision, Use the Force +17
Languages Basic, Ryl, Huttese

About the Authors

Sterling Hershey is an architect and freelance game designer. He regularly creates Star Wars Miniatures and Starship Battles scenarios and previews for the Wizards of the Coast web site. Past products include the Scenario Book for the Attack on Endor Scenario Pack. He is also one of the authors of the upcoming The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide and Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition. You can read more about gaming in a galaxy far, far away in his starwars.com blog, Delusions of Grandeur. Sterling lives in the Midwest with his wife, Mary.

Gary M. Sarli is a freelance designer, developer, and editor whose credits include the Saga Edition rulebook and Ultimate Adversaries (for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game) and Power of Faerûn and Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (for Dungeons & Dragons). He also moderates on the Wizards.COMmunity message boards as WizO the Hutt, cheerfully feeding Code of Conduct violators to the Sarlacc. Gary also runs GMSarli Games, an online retailer specializing in making non-random miniatures packs designed for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game.